Alumni in the News

Nicole Seybold Burkhalter - RHS '90

Indiana Academic Coach of the Year

Friday, September 30, 2016

With an admitted love of trivia, most Monday nights you can find Greencastle High School teacher Nicole (Kempf) Burkhalter joining her academic teammates in dominating trivia competition at Buffalo Wild Wings.

But there's nothing trivial about the heights to which such competition has taken Burkhalter and her Indiana Academic Super Bowl teams.

The two GHS teams she coaches are both currently on four-year reigns as state champions with both English and Interdisciplinary squads capturing state titles every year since 2013.

But the icing on the cake came Tuesday when the Indiana Association of School Principals named Burkhalter Academic Coach of the Year for 2016.

Was she surprised?

"I was," she admitted Wednesday afternoon. "They nominated me last year but I didn't make the final four."

"Nicole has a reputation at Greencastle High School -- reputation for having high expectations," it begins.

"Nicole believes that her students have the ability to achieve at a very high level, both in the classroom and at the competition table," the nomination letter adds.

She was also lauded for going the extra mile for students.

"Nicole is doing far more than just giving up her time," the nomination letter states. "She is changing lives."

It notes that she teaches her students strategies to be successful in college and perform well, not just in academic competitions, but on the AP, PSAT and SAT tests.

"Beyond tests, Nicole inspires her students to become curious, life-long learners," the nomination adds.

It ends with high praise from one of her students.

"Through the English team," the student notes, "Mrs. Burkhalter has taught us that the pursuit of knowledge is fun. She makes sure we all work harder than our competition, and she works harder than any of us."

Acknowledgment of that testimony brings a smile to her face.

"That's probably my favorite part of it," Burkhalter said of the state recognition.

That and sharing the experience with husband Todd, to whom she's been married a little more than a year. They celebrated by enjoying a sunny fall afternoon walking around downtown Indianapolis following the Academic Coaches Conference Awards Ceremony at the Indiana Convention Center.

So after 15 years as the GHS Spell Bowl coach and 20 years as a Super Bowl coach, is she ready to give it all up?

"I've still got a Spell Bowl title to win," she's quick to reply. "We've been so close twice, with two seconds."

That team is already working toward Area Competition the first week of November.

Burkhalter also enjoys coaching the English and Interdisciplinary teams, noting that she keeps "learning new things" as she work with her students.

For example, she's already excited for the 2017 Academic Super Bowl competition, knowing that the theme will be the French Revolution, something she's always been interested in learning more about.

Indiana Academic Super Bowl competition is set for the spring with the state finals May 6 at Purdue University as Burkhalter and her students will be going for five straight titles.

Cindy Flock Miller - RHS '72

Ligonier Chamber of Commerce

2016 Member Of The Year

Described as a leader with a "ready" smile whenever you see her. Cindy was honored for her work in gaining many new members for the Chamber.

Claiming about 40,000 lives annually, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the United States.

That may be why so many Rose-Hulman students have joined Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Ross Weatherman’s quest to unravel some of breast cancer’s most elusive mysteries.

“I think the students feel like they are really trying to help people,” says Weatherman, who started this work nearly two decades ago as an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. “Cancer is terrible and has affected nearly everyone, so it is feels good to fight back,” he says.

Weatherman’s research is focused on the role estrogen plays in breast cancer. Estrogen receptor positive breast cancers are commonly treated with drugs, such as tamoxifen, which inhibit cancer cell growth by blocking estrogens from stimulating cell proliferation. While effective at blocking estrogen in the breast, these drugs can mimic estrogen in other parts of the body, increasing the risk of other cancers.

“We really want to probe that,” says Weatherman, whose research earned him the 2016 Rose-Hulman Board of Trustees Outstanding Scholar Award. This award is presented annually to that individual who demonstrates a commitment to excellence in creative scholarly activities.

In his lab, Weatherman and his students are looking into the molecular mechanisms underlying estrogen (and antiestrogen) action in the body. If successful, their work could result in better breast cancer treatments with fewer side effects, he says.

Kent Kraus, a senior biochemistry major and co-winner of this year’s William Albert Noyes, Sr. Award in Chemistry, is among the many Rose-Hulman students to join Weatherman’s research. Working together, they made and tested new tamoxifen derivatives for their ability to block estrogen action in the hope of finding a new, viable breast cancer treatment drug, Kraus says.

“Doctor Weatherman was a great research advisor who helped me gain the skills and thought process necessary for conducting scientific research,” he says.

“I think we all want the smartest people in the world working on important problems like treating cancer, so we should want Rose students working on cancer research,” Weatherman says. “To be able to take our super-talented students and start them on a path to do that is incredibly satisfying.”

Perry Williams - RHS '89

Team USA Sports Medicine Team 2016

Miss Bailey Hayes was chosen as a 2016 Indiana Academic All Star sponsored by the Indiana Association of School Principals. She was nominated by RHS counselor Dawn Mitchell. Hayes was one of 284 seniors nominated from across the state; only 40 were chosen as winners. Bailey recognized Mrs. Samantha Woodard as the teacher who influenced her the most. Hayes, Mrs. Woodard, and principal Dwight Ashley will attend a lunch and awards ceremony on April 26th.

Representative Steuerwald Recognized as

Legislator of the Year for Work on Mental Health

Greg Steuerwald - RHS 1970

Indianapolis, IN, December 17, 2015 — The Indiana Psychological Association (IPA) is proud to announce that it has selected Representative Greg Steuerwald as Indiana’s 2015 Legislator of the Year. This award is presented annually to an outstanding mental health leader in the Indiana legislature.

IPA announced the award at their Annual Meeting in November and presented Representative Steuerwald with the award at their December board meeting. Upon acceptance of his award, Rep Steuerwald said, “It is an honor to be recognized by the Indiana Psychological Association. I look forward to continuing to work with the association on important issues, which positively impact public health and access to mental health services for all Hoosiers".

Representative Steuerwald represents House district 40 which covers portions of Hendricks County including the towns of Plainfield, Brownsburg, and Avon. During the 2015 legislative session, Representative Steuerwald co-authored House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1269, which makes the Department of Corrections (DOC) an inmate's authorized representative for applying for Medicaid for those who are potentially eligible for Medicaid and who incur medical care expenses that are not otherwise reimbursable.

Representative Steuerwald also co-authored HEA 1304 that allows a person with an Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability, or Autism Spectrum Disorder to participate in a forensic diversion program. The law also authorizes a prosecuting attorney to require a person participating in a prosecutorial diversion program to receive mental health treatment to reduce recidivism, and allows diversion and deferral fees to be used to fund mental health treatment programs to reduce recidivism.

Representative Steuerwald has served in the Indiana House of Representatives since 2007. He is currently Assistant Majority Caucus Chair and serves as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. In addition, he serves on the Courts and Criminal Code and Criminal Code Evaluation Committees. In these roles he has been instrumental in recognizing the need to treat substance use and mental health disorders in the corrections system. Dr. Tom Barbera, IPA Governmental Affairs Committee Chairperson, noted that “Representative Steuerwald has been an effective leader in shifting the corrections system culture in Indiana from one of labeling and stigmatizing Hoosiers with substance use and other mental health disorders to one focused on treatment and prevention.”

Rep. Steuerwald receives Legislative Excellence Award

December 8, 2015

Rep. Greg Steuerwald (R-Avon) was presented with the Legislative Excellence Award by the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) at the group's winter conference. The award was presented by Hendricks County Prosecuting Attorney Patricia Baldwin.

“This is an honor and I am humbled to receive this award,” Steuerwald said. “As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, I will continue to promote and craft legislation that advances public safety efforts. I look forward to continuing to work closely with IPAC as we get closer to the 2016 legislative session.”

Steuerwald is one of two inaugural recipients of the IPAC Legislative Excellence Award, which is based upon outstanding legislative leadership on the issue of public safety in the State of Indiana and contributions made to support public safety in the Indiana General Assembly.

“Greg Steuerwald has performed herculean work to enhance public safety in Indiana, particularly by providing truth-in-sentencing for victims of violent crime,” David N. Powell, executive director of IPAC, said. "His exemplary commitment to funding substance abuse and mental health treatment will create new opportunities for recovery and reform. Finally, his selfless approach to improving government serves as a model for all legislators."

Nicole Seybold Kempf - RHS 1990

Tradition continues, GHS captures three academic state titles

Monday, May 11, 2015By ERIC BERNSEE Editor

For the third straight year, the Greencastle High School English Team is a state champion, winning the 2015 Indiana Academic Super Bowl Saturday at Purdue University. Coached by Nicole Kempf (left) RHS-1990, the team is composed of Kelly Hansen, Alexandra Weliever and Ben Gellman.

WEST LAFAYETTE -- With 19 academic state titles already to its credit, not too many firsts were left for the Greencastle High School Academic Super Bowl team to accomplish in Saturday's state finals.

Yet in winning three state championships during competition in the 28th annual Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP) Academic Super Bowl at Purdue University, GHS academic teams managed to do just that Saturday.

With Class 3 championships in English, Science and Interdisciplinary, it marks the first time since competition began in 1987 that GHS has brought home three state titles the same year.

Additionally, the 2015 victories by the English and Interdisciplinary teams makes it a three-peat -- another first -- for both squads that initally won in 2013 and repeated in 2014.

That was particularly impressive for the Nicole Kempf-coached English group that won back-to-back titles with a veteran team of upperclassmen in 2013 and 2014. This year, however, the champion English team is composed of two sophomores (Kelly Hansen and Alex Weliever) and a freshman (Ben Gellman).

A graduate of Gerstmeyer High School in 1959 and four years later Indiana State College, Don Smith is a basketball coach at Glacier High School in Kalispell, Montana. Although his sophomore team was defeated 55–51 by Missoula Hellgate in the final game of the season, its record was 19–1. The difference in the game was number of free throws scored by the two teams. According to Smith, “I think the loss was a blessing in disguise. Because we lost, it should give the players more incentive to work hard over the summer to improve their game.”

Prior to honoring players and thanking their parents at Senior Night, the school awarded Smith a large plaque in recognition of his 50 years of coaching with pictures of his teams from Rockville High School, University of New Orleans, Brevard Community College, and Glacier High School. The inscription on the plaque reads:

“Glacier High School would like to express our gratitude for sharing your experience, strength and knowledge of the game with us. Your contributions reach far beyond the sophomore teams that you have coached. We appreciate your humble and dedicated service. Thank you for your inspiration. Your legacy will live on in the many lives you have touched”.

Marjorie Hays and Dr. Gambaiani Receive Paul Harris Fellow Award

2014 Rox HOF Inductees

Bruce Hartman - RHS '77

Sagamore Award Recipient December 2013

(Click on picture for article.)

James A. Kent - RHS 2010

No. 1 Mount Union Purple Raiders

James Kent is one of the veteran offensive linemen for Mount Union after all the graduation losses from last season.

Mount Union won the national championship a year ago, but it will look decidedly different this season, especially on offense where quarterback Kevin Burke is the only returning starter. Burke completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and threw for 3,772 yards and 38 touchdowns. Mason Minnich should be one of the top running backs and Germany Woods, a transfer from Heidelberg, is eligible to play this season.He was a two-time All-OAC selection in 2010 and 2011 and has 12 100-yard rushing games in his career. Joining Meacham at receiver will be Roman Namdar, a great athlete who was the backup quarterback last season. Sherman Wilkinson, Lane Clark and Jack Nicholls will vying for time as well. Gage Goble, Michael Frank, Johnny Cannell and James Kent are among the players who will battle for time on the offensive line. Pat Mahoney, who played at defensive tackle the last two years, is also a strong candidate, as is Anthony Presutti. The strength of the defense will be the defensive line as Matt Fechko, Charlie Avila, Ted Rosalva and Tom Lally will help pave the way. Fechko is coming off a sesaon in which he racked up 50 tackles and six sacks. Rosalva tallied 50 tackles as well. Jonathan Gonnell will be one of the key linebackers for the Purple Raiders after making 32 tackles last season. He also recovered one fumble. The Purple Raiders allowed only 182.6 yards per game, and they will need to be tough on defense again if they are going to win another national title.

Keriem Taylor Kvalevog - RHS '83

Nicole Seybold Kempf - RHS 1990

GHS Latin Teacher & Academic Coach

GHS earns state titles in English, Interdisciplinary

Monday, May 6, 2013

By ERIC BERNSEE Editor

Members of the state championship Greencastle High School English team with 22 of 25 questions answered correctly Saturday are (from left) Zack Wilkerson, Lily Spencer and team captain Hannah Gellman.

The Greencastle High School academic teams did something Saturday no athletic team in Putnam County or Greencastle has ever done, capturing two state championships on the same day.

GHS won Indiana Academic Super Bowl titles in both English and Interdisciplinary competition Saturday afternoon at the 26th annual competition staged at Purdue University in West Lafayette.

And the third team representing Greencastle in the state academic finals -- the GHS science squad -- took second place in the Class 3 competition.

"The science team's score would have won in all the other classes," GHS Latin teacher and academic coach Nicole Kempf noted of what was oh-so-close to a three-for-three Greencastle sweep.

"Both seniors on the science team were on the winning Interdisciplinary team," she pointed out, "so all our seniors who headed to Purdue had a chance to bring home a first-place medal."

The GHS English team had the highest Class 3 area score (22 out of 25) in the state going into Saturday's championship round and didn't let any title pressure get to them, producing an identical 22-of-25 score on Saturday.

Composed of Captain Hannah Gellman, Lily Spencer and Zach Wilkerson and coached by Kempf, the English team defeated Garrett, Eastern, Winamac, Bishop Luers and North Posey high schools to earn the title in Class 3.

"It's the first win for the English team," Kemp said. "We have gone several times and placed second or third, sometimes falling from first on the last question."

And don't look now, but it may be the beginning of a GHS English team dynasty.

"The entire English team will return next year," Kemp advised. "Hannah (Gellman) is a junior and both Zach (Wilkerson) and Lily (Spencer) are freshmen."

Meanwhile, the championship GHS Interdisciplinary squad correctly answered 19 of 25 questions (which can come from any of the five disciplines, Science, Fine Arts, Social Studies, Math or English) in taking the 2013 title.

Members of the state championship Greencastle High School Interdisciplinary team with 19 of 25 questions answered correctly Saturday are (from left) Hannah Gellman, Erin McConkey, Erik Norlin and team captain Avery Robinson.

"Interdisciplinary hasn't won for several years," Kemp noted. "None of us can remember what year that was."

Avery Robinson captains the Interdisciplinary team with Erik Norlin, Erin McConkey and Hannah Gellman as members.

The GHS Interdisciplinary squad had secured the sixth and final spot in the state finals by virtue of a tiebreaker, but made that pay off Saturday by outpointing Indian Creek, Cardinal Ritter, Park Tudor, South Spencer and Wapahani high schools.

The GHS Science team of Captain Avery Robinson, Beth Ann Hansen and Erik Norlin and coached by teacher Brad Kingma, got 22 of the 25 questions right to finish second in the state in Class 3.

Overall, coach Kempf was impressed by how the Greencastle team members absorbed the knowledge necessary to shine on Saturday.

"Even though the theme was Greece ('The Glory That Was Greece') not Rome, the students' classical background from Latin class paid off -- especially for the Interdisciplinary team," Kempf noted.

"I had a great time discussing 'The Odyssey' and 'Antigone' with my English team," she added. "I was thrilled that this year's topic allowed me to cover classical literature."

Greencastle has had a long history of sending teams to the state finals dating back to the competition's first year in 1987.

GHS has now won at least 14 state titles overall, including five times in which the Tiger Cubs have now captured two state championships the same year (1991, 1993, 1994, 1998 and now 2013).

Frank Gough - RHS 1966

Conservation Police Officer Frank Gough accepting an award from Ann Goette of the Re-New the New Committee for his dedication in protecting our New River from the type of illegal tire dumping you see to the left.giniaConservationPolice

Illegal out of state tire dumpers caught by citizens tip. For the last 2 years Conservation Police Officer Frank Gough has been conducting an investigation on illegal tire dumping in the Shumate area of the New River in Giles County.

During the summer of 2007, Gough received additional information from a resident who had observed vehicles transport tires into the same area. In January, Gough received a call reference to a vehicle entering the Shumate area with a load of tires in the truck bed. Gough responded and located fresh vehicle tracks leaving the main road headed toward the river where Gough had located a tire dump site before. Gough blocked the exit road from the river and conducted a foot patrol where he located the vehicle loaded with tires parked by the existing dump site along the river. Gough conducted surveillance on the vehicle for approximately 2 hours until the subjects returned to the vehicle. The subjects appeared to be leaving without dumping the tires. Gough stopped the vehicle and interviewed the subjects. Both individuals resided in Princeton, West Virginia and have been unemployed for a lengthy period. Both admitted that they came there to dump the load of 22 tires but observed Gough when he first drove into the area. They admitted dumping tires in the Shumate area at least once a month for the last two years. They said that they had dumped a total of approximately 450 tires during that time span. The subjects would pick up a load of tires from truck stops and gas stations in West Virginia where they were paid two dollars to four dollars per tire. One of the subjects stated that he learned how to do this from his father who had been doing it for years. A marijuana pipe was also seized from one of the subjects. The investigation will be ongoing for additional violations by local tire businesses in West Virginia. Charges are pending. For more information contact Lt. Rex Hill (276) 783-4860.

Renew The New River Project Video

Sisters In Triathlon

July 14, 2012

Thirty Six Saloon Receives Alumni Award

Mark Vanderheyden was recognized by Rockville Schools Alumni during its 2012 Alumni Week events. The award was made in appreciation for his efforts to build on the success of his business, The Thirty Six Saloon. The award was presented to Mark by Max Higgs of the Rox Alumni Website Committee. Max stated that “Mark has built an establishment that makes Rockville proud and is a role model for other businesses to aspire to. In a time when our economy is in the tank, Mark has stepped up and dramatically invested in renovation and additions to his facility. His business benefits everyone in our community and is an attraction for tourism which will draw visitors from across the country to Parke County for many years to come. ” Mark is a 1976 graduate of Rockville High School.

James D. Cody - RHS '88

Terre Haute Tribune Star

Sunday , October 23, 2011

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell announced the promotion of Detective Jim Cody of the Lafayette District to the rank of sergeant, where he will serve as a crime scene investigator. Cody received his promotion through written testing and a competitive interview process.

As a crime scene Investigator, a portion of his duties will include responding and conducting crime scene investigations, preserving, collecting and documenting forensic evidence, providing crime scene testimony for trials and assisting officers and agencies with matters concerning crime scene investigations. Cody’s office will be at the Putnamville Post where he will primarily be responsible for crime scene investigations within portions of the Putnamville and Lafayette Districts, but may be utilized anywhere else in the state.

He is a 12-year veteran of the department having graduated from the 58th ISP Recruit School in December of 1999 and subsequently assigned to the Lafayette District where he has been his entire tenure. He patrolled Fountain and Montgomery counties and was promoted to corporal at the Lafayette District in 2004, but later voluntarily returned to the rank of trooper for road patrol duties and became a crash reconstructionist. Cody was then appointed in 2008 to detective within the Criminal Investigation Division at the Lafayette District, a position he has held until his recent promotion to sergeant. While on the department, he has served as counselor for the 67th ISP Recruit School and a counselor and camp director for the ISP youth camps. Cody holds instructor certifications in firearms, emergency vehicle operations and photogrammetry.

Cody is a Parke County native and graduate of Rockville High School and later of Indiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in professional pilot technology.

Valena Swaim Clauss RHS '67

Sandra Forrest Bemis - RHS '59

Phyllis Clark Akers RHS 1947

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

PHYLLIS AKERS WAS RECOGNIZED AS A HALL OF FAME AWARD WINNER BY THE INDIANA ASSOCIATION OF FAIRS, FESTIVALS AND EVENTS AT THEIR ANNUAL CONVENTION IN INDIANAPOLIS, JANUARY 11. AKERS HAS BEEN A 4-H FAIR BOARD MEMBER AND A 4-H VOLUNTEER IN PARKE COUNTY FOR 50 YEARS, AND WAS RECOGNIZED FOR HER MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 4-H FAIR AND OTHER COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES. SHE WAS JOINED BY 20 MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY AT THE AWARD PRESENTION. THEIR NAMES ARE BRAD GREGG, RON AKERS, SAMANTHA FORREST, ROSS AKERS, CURTIS AKERS, RUSTY AKERS, GLORY FORREST, ROGER AKERS, VERA AKERS, SKYLAR FORREST, SALLY MCARTY, PHYLLIS AKERS, MARY ALICE GREGG, DEVIN AKERS, JANE NOEL, OLIVIA NICHOLSON AND ANDREW HAWES.

Joe Collings '69

Gayla Gastineau Breslauer '73

The original cost of this bridal gown was $3,000. Gayla Breslauer's Bride's Revisited would knock about 75 percent off that price. Any profit goes to charities.For the complete IndyStar report, click on the link below:

Alisa Ratcliff Mathas, RHS Class of 1974, is the recipient of the WTHI-TV Golden Apple Award. WTHI-TV awards five of these each year for excellence in teaching. She is only the third in the 21-year history of the award from South Vermillion Community Schools and the first for Central Elementary where she is a kindergarten teacher.